Nepali literature is yet to be explored, while excavating the Nepalese and Gorkha writings, one can find writers equal to the stature of Murakami, Mo Yan, Marquez and Pahmukh. Nepali literature can compete at any level; the only things required are exploration by the readers’ and usher of love, time and interest towards Nepali literature. Let Nepali Literature bloom in the garden of world literature.

“Palpasa Café” is a novel by Nepali author Narayan Wagle. The story is weaved beautifully with the Nepalese Civil War that lasted for 10 years in Nepal starting from the year 1996 to 2006. It was an armed battle between Nepali armed forces and Maoist forces with an aim of overthrowing the monarchial rule. Palpasa Café is an outcome of the decade long uprisings that portrays the anguish of Nepal during the war era.

The story mostly revolves around two characters, Drishya, a painter by profession and Palpasa. But each and every day happenings of turmoil Nepal has been beautifully wickered. The novel starts in a narrative metafictional way hearkening the readers on a voyage not travelled, after which the protagonist (Drishya) amidst the inception of chaos and disorder (Murder of Monarch) in the country gets arrested alongwith many innocent faces.

I believe Art is above existence, sameway the writer has really placed the level of Art to the metaphsyic level. Art is exposed in each and every echelon; a painter’s spacious mind obsessed with art is portrayed from the starting chapter which starts in Goa, India. The protagonist (painter) falls in love with Palpasa (A homecoming amateur film maker). Narayan Wagle is often referred as formalist for his usage of form over content but still Wagle has beautifully crafted the intricacies of the demography with the life lived the various characters in the novel.

The novel has feminist expression as most of the voices are accentuated by female characters like Phulan, Hajur Ama (Grandmother), Palpasa, Jemina, Christina etc. The dominancy of the opposite counterparts stays veiled even at the narratives.

Wagle who is also known for his thoroughness of detail and poetic imageries through the presence of his protagonist Drishya has briefly pictorised the canvas of agitated era with adroit caress. Palpasa Café as the name itself label aspects like Love, Despair and Art gets more intense and tragic as it reaches its end. Drishya, while returning back towards home from his native country side accidentally he happens to meet Palpasa, as she dies in a lethal trap; Drishya gets arrested unexpectedly from his gallery leaving his assistant Phulan (readers’) all alone. With this, I take my hands off and leave you thirsty. Quench your thirst, springs are not far-off.

About the Book:

The book has been a best-seller in Nepal, creating a sales record for a Nepali book of 25,000 copies in the first year. It was Wagle's first book. Since its release, the book has received many honours including the highly prestigious literary award in Nepal, the Madan Puraskar. The book has also been translated into English and Korean language.

“Flower in the midst
of thorns” is an epoch making collection of autobiographical essays. The
original book in Nepali “Jeevan Kadha ki Phool” was first published in the year
2010 which won the prestigious Madan Puruskar in the same year. Likewise, the
translators, Nagendra Sharma and Safal Sharma after two years, globalized the
book by translating the essays from Nepali to the language known by the world
(English).

Jhamak Ghimire, was
born with Cerebral Palsy in the year 1980. She started writing with her toes
from the day she first wrote “Ka” in the sands with a twig. Also, a poet, she
has won many awards for her writing in literature. It has been mentioned:
Jhamak Ghimire to be equal to Hellen Keller of the West.

In the very first
page, a reader can judge the philosophic depth of the writer by rendering
masochistic lines that forays an array of myriad human feelings.

“For me, life is the
best flowers of creation. I don’t know whether my life falls within the LIFE I
myself have defined.”

Jhmak Ghimire ... An Inspiration.

The book, as its
allegory flings a satire to the humans who have lost the essence of humanity.
The book on the one hand has parably portrayed the inefficiency of the
Government and politics of Nepal even terming the system to be disabled
furthermore with lines like “We disabled are not sad at our own
disability, but at the leaders who have disabled our country”. While on
the other hand,her essays portray bottled personal hardships and distress,
which she as a disabled had to face in a chauvinistic, superstitious, dark
society. On reading chapters like “Caste Divisions and I, A Burden in the war
against Discrimination, Disability and our society, Menstruation and Youth,
Rays of Hope” etc, the reader will bump into the truth of the soul in
the depth of imagination progressed with the passage of time. She found rays of
hope when the elders in the society blessed her at Dashain to die soon instead
of having led a crippled life. Her discourse on the position of the girl child,
young women and the society shows the idiocy of the sycophantic, hangover
society. “She has lashed out at everyone, including her old grandmother, mother,
father and the social beliefs supporting them. She has dug into the roots of
the religion that has fostered inequality”.

Until and unless the
darker facets of a society cannot be brought in front, society cannot progress wholesomely.
This book has a total of 47 astounding essays of manageable length covering
Jhamak’s encounter with life from her birth in the year 1980 till present day.
She has openly criticized the dogma of a traditional society, its obligations,
ills within the culture and the superstitious belief of the Eastern psyche. On
many terms, she has even rejected the existence of God. “God may not have physical form,
but I do not feel that all the minute details of creation, sound, colours, sky
and the stars could have come into being without a creator”.

No matter how much I
try to bring out the flavor of this book, it will just turn out to be a “mission
un – accomplished”. For the
essays in the book does not come from a research laboratory, but from the
knowledge gained from a hard life of a crippled girl writing with her toe of
amazing consciousness and courage that is priceless.

“Kshar/ Akshar”
(Perishable/ Imperishable) is the third anthology
of poems published in the year 1998 after the release of two of Bhandari’s
earlier collection of poems, namely “Huide yee Chisa Raatka Pardaharuma” (In the
veils of cold wintery nights) published in the year 1979 and the second
collection of poems titled “Yee Sabhdaharu: Yee Harafharu” (These
words: These lines) 1986.

Bhandari’s third
anthology of poem contains a total of 48 poems. All the poems in this collection
portrays detoriating socio cultural values, political aspirations of the
Gorkha’s of India, widening human relationships, urban loneliness, reckless de
– humanization of urban society and beurocratic corruption. His poems are like
an abstract art “What you read today might be different, while reading tomorrow”.

One of his poem from
“Kshar/Akshar” entitled “Baan vitra harayeka goreto haru” (The lost
pathway inside the forest) takes the reader back to the periphery of
the village and portrays the stark realities in a rather metamorphic way also
portraying the social structure of the village with lines like:

“At home, they start
cramming the table of five,

Five into five equals
to the torn blouse of their mother

Four into four equals
to the wrinkled face of the father”.

This poem in some way
or the other demonstrates the memory of the distant past, over burdened with
domestic and agricultural activities.

Likewise, his other
poem from the same book namely “Hariyo chowr ra Marble Aankhaharu” (Green
meadows and Marble eyes) is a quasi – poem standing between the urban
and rural life. The poem rightly portrays the reckless de humanization of the
urban society. In the poem the poet far from the marble (signifying urbanity),
harks the reader to the landscape of the green meadows and tempts to take
refuge in it. Finally ending off with an
open ending with lines like:

“And listen to our
heartbeats in that green meadow.

“By the way, how old are you?”

Bhandari with his friend Jayant Mahapatra (renowned Indian English writer)

“Bazaar garera” (From
the Market) is yet another interesting satirical
poem from the same book. It highlights the churning political and economic
problem of the society and Vanity as its central theme. The poet has travelled
far beyond the trammeling incidents of ordinary life and from that nameless
position and yet he has depicted practical examples in the poem with lines like

“How far is Nirvana
from the Kerosene Queue”

This poem is dynamic in
its approach. It’s like an original abstract art always delivering fresh
thoughts.

Other poems like “Mamuli
kura” (Ordinary matters), “Mashina Kushiharu” (Small pleasures) from
this collection along with the other 44 poems Nepali poems is full of Life,
Laughter, love and melancholy. One may not find traditional; rhythm in his
poems, context to the usage of metres, rhymes, alliteration and accents. But it
is never to be forgotten that real rhythm is inherent in our consciousness.

Finally to remind the
readers of Bhandari’s earlier poem where he delves into Meta fiction of the
writing process and craft with lines like:

‘Return, O words

From here onwards

I ought to proceed
alone”.

About the Poet:

Dr. Rajendra Bhandari
is an Indian Gorkha poet. He was born in Bong Busty, Kalimpong (West Bengal) on
28th September, 1956. He did his schooling from Kumdini Homes,
Kalimpong and later joined Kalimpong College for his Graduation. He completed
his Master’s in Nepali from North Bengal University after which he acquired the
degree of PhD from the same University. Bhandari has published five collections
of poems in Nepali. He is the finest and first Gorkha writer to have been named
in the list of Nobel Prize for Literature consecutively for two years – 2012
and 2013.

In 2013, three eminent
Indian writers were in the probable list including names like Mahashweta Devi,
K Satchidanandan and Dr. Bhandari was also one out of the three Literati’s from
India.

“Susheli Ra Sushkera”(Whistle and sigh) is the latest collection of short stories
written by Gahar Singh Subba “Udashi” also a Bhanu Puruskar Awardee, 2002. His
writing has a philosophical outlook and his usage of typical Gorkha words and
nuances makes his work applauded and well read in the bookshelf of Gorkha
literature.

The
collection contains a total of 33 short stories which are very much realistic
in approach. The stories have been woven with stylistic characteristics like
stream of consciousness, metaphor, allegory, de construction and many more.
While existentialism, Modernity, psyche, Diaspora etc are made the theme in the
various stories.

All
the short stories are presented in various ways which undoubtedly gives an
abundant insight of the writer in his understanding of the society. One of the story
namely “Antarwarta” (Discussion) is stitched to a quote: “Man
is born free but everywhere he is tied in chains” and has the leader
(politician) of the people as a protagonist of the story. Likewise, some the
other stories in the collection are “Rapture” which portrays the
countryside life in search of the past memoirs finally realizing the memoirs to
have sheltered in rapture. Aaj ko Shree Krishna ra Sudhama (Today’s
Shree Krishna and Sudhama) is another short story which is just opposite
to the Old story of Shree Krishna and Sudhama, trying its best to showcase the
present reality of the society. Gaon ghar ma aajkal (These days in home and
in Village) is yet another brilliant short story which is written with
utmost craftsmanship and apt. It states the dwelling of life in materialism, it
has a theme which is universal in approach namely diminishment of brotherhood,
moral and ethical values.

These
were the synopsis of the three short stories out of the thirty three other
Goosebumps. Gahar Singh Subba “Udashi” is well known for his usage of classic
words which can be observed only after you take a look of this collection of
minute short stories.

“Chhapamar Yuwatiko Diary” can be
included as one of the bestseller in Nepal after having sold 50,000 copies in
just two days and with the release of tenth edition of the book presently in
the market. The book was also awarded the prestigious Madan Sahitya Puruskar,
Nepal. The stories portray the life of a young 15 year old Guerrilla girl named
Tara Rai also the writer of the book. The main reason behind terming the book
as autobiography lays in the fact that the whole facts, situations have been
seen and analyzed from the eyes and mind of the writer or the main protagonist
of the book.

Tara Rai, the writer was educated
till primary level and had joined the cultural wing of Maoist Movement at a
very small age of 15 years. Within a short span of three months as a Maoist,
she is captured by the Army personnel kept behind bars and then freed a year
later. The entire stories have been incepted from behind the pillars, reminiscence
of her becoming a Maoist without giving any second thought, her introspection
on the difference in the human behavior. Moreover, keeping aside the skepticism, she
has triumphed as a runaway bestselling writer.

The oppressed voice of common men
which is always made a scapegoat in the conflicts. The clash between the Shah
armies and the Maoist forces in the streets and hills in a chaotic decade. The
Maoist movements in Nepal structured by Maoist(s) like Tara and their dream of
Independent Nepal and the Army men and their task of Peace restoration. The
evolution of Tara’s story can be traced at such paradoxical juncture where Army
men and Maoist killed each other not knowing they were men of the same nation.

The book has been reviewed by many
critics, “most affiliated writers and critics terming it to be as a book of
forgery and even accusing the people behind the book who helped to bring Rai’s
book to the market of corrupting her attitude towards the Maoist forces” – The
Kathmandu Post, but not of India, this is the first initiative as there
lays some similarities in Gorkha (India) and Nepali (Nepal) language. Though the Diary maybe a straightforward
narration of Tara’s life but it should not be forgotten - that the story as its
allegory also has the face of anxious Nepal and the cries, sorrows and the
grief of a clamoring era.

“She
Writes” is a collection of short stories featuring the work of twelve contemporary
female writers from across the country (India).
Random House India in association with MSN in the month of May 2012 had
conducted a short story contest to hunt for India’s twelve finest women
writers. The twelve stories were
selected from the thousands of entries. Finely blended, the book says every
woman has a story to tell, the stories are based on three themes.

The
themes are –

i)Woman in the City

ii)Growing up in India

iii)The man in my Life.

According
to the theme, one can find stories like - a
woman trapped in a stifling marriage makes a shocking discovery, a repressed
memory is suddenly brought back by a dead tree, a self-styled nun finds
unlikely love in a Tibetan monastery. Rich and deeply evocative, “She Writes”
is a celebration of some of the most exciting writing talent in our country.

Preti Shrenoy in her introductory note scribbles words like “Each
of these twelve stories here are remarkable in their own way. They are stories
from women like you and me, based in different places like Chennai, Kolkata,
Hyderabad, New Delhi, Bangalore and Gangtok”. True to her words, the
stories are diverse giving a taste of the particular geography, myriad lifestyle
and theme which has been woven deeply with the various stylistic characteristics
that is superior enough to give a reader a second thought on reading the
distinctive beautifully weaved stories. Certain evocative quotes were used as
the catalyst for the upbringing of the collection of short stories. The quotes
were taken from the Man Booker winning Book God of Small Things, Gone with the
Wind and a quote by Oscar Wilde. All the stories revolve around the three
quotes and one can find the incorporation of each topic somewhere in the
stories.

“She Writes” has juxtaposed the
myriad existence in a single shack of paper. Anisha Bhaduri, Sheela Jaywant,
Yishey Doma, Dr Geeta Sundar among the twelve writers are published writers.
While talking on some of the stories, the first story by Anushka Bhaduri has a
newly wed middle class Bengali couple and their honey moon stay in Darjeeling
is quite an interesting read. However, the protagonists name is spelt as Konika
at times and as Konica in different sections of the story. Jyotshn Jha‘s story
“The tourist" is about an Anglo-Indian girl Michele who unwillingly visits
India and falls in love with a doctor but later finds out a shocking fact about
him that shakes her. Stories like "White Chilly" by Dr. Geeta
Sundar is a nice story that tells about an inexplicable bond between two women
who meet during their walk, Yishey Doma’s story “Mantra’s of Love” portrays the
anecdote of Yangchen,
a nun, and Philip, a photographer from New York, who finds love in the hills
during a trek to Dzongri. The other stories in “She Writes” are also very
interesting after all they were selected from the thousands of entries from
across the country.

So
readers’ take your time, as the twelve dynamic stories will very much fit in
with a cup of Tea or a Coffee. You won’t find any stereotype stories as the
themes applied in it are vibrant, apt and the stories have no endings.The Collection of short story “She Writes” has the
supremacy to quench the thirst of short story lovers and the publishers MSN and
Random House in making the book available to the global audience. The Book “She
Writes” is available in various book stores all around the world; all you need
to do is visit some of it.

Gorkha Imagined: Indra Bahadhur
Rai in Translation, edited by Prem Poddar & Anmole Prasad and
published by Mukti Prakashan, Kalimpong is a translated book from Nepali to
English with short stories and Essays by Indra Bahadhur Rai. The book is unique
as the stories contained in it have the supremacy to quench the thirst of every
reader for the theme applied is Universal in approach. There are a total of ten
collected short stories and Essay collected from his major works. Indra
Bahadhur Rai, a successful Darjeeling born Nepali author, a leading Nepali
Literati and the one to have forged the “Ayamik Lekhan” (the Dimensionist
Movement of which Rai was the forerunner) saw his works at times come under
controversy. “From the Introductory section, In short IB’s project is to infect
Nepali literature with the intellectual incomprehensibility of his mentors such
as Derrida, Lacan and Baudillard and put Nepali Literature out of reach of ordinary
readers”. Besides, Literature and writer grow with the critical
evaluation by the critics/audience. Rai portrays the identity of Gurkha in most
of his work with the usage of theme/subjects like Refugee, Asylum seekers,
migrant and many more related subjects. In this book, the readers will find
problems of Gurkha Identity its various crossroads of civilization, political
affairs and identity.

Furthermore, Prem Poddar in his
Introduction provides a synopsis to the readers on the usage of thematic and
stylistic characteristics as used by Rai in most of his works. His insightful
overture provides a briefing of all the stories and Essays and gives a much
insightful view of the book which will add an added dosage to the readers. Some
of the short stories and Essay in the book are Jarr: Euta Bhayekai Katha, Ghosh
Babu, Ratbhari Huri Chalyo, Kheer, Jaimaya Aphumatra Likhapani Aipugi and Pahar
Ra Khola etc.

The first in the book and a very
widely renowned story amongst Nepali populace “Jarr” (Adulterer) has a
somewhat Shakespearian outlook, the story revolves around three characters Thuli
(meaning eldest daughter), Rudraman and Harshajit. Thuli loves
Rudraman, a Gurkha lieutenant but she is not able to marry him due to familial
pressure and marries her paternal cousin Harshajit. After the marriage is done
and half of her marriage life is lived, Rudraman again appears and tires to
whip Thuli but he is caught and taken in the Village court. The inborn
controversy in the story and the chivalry at the last of the story by Rudraman
transforms the ferocious enmity into miteri (Fictive). The other story in the
book entitled as “Ghosh Babu” translated equivalently by Michael Hutt portrays
shades of Irony by presenting a Bengali drycleaner resident in Darjeeling.
Moreover, the story gives a dimensional view of Darjeeling as it unfolds in its
narrative. “Kheer” (a Nepali rice pudding) is a story full of allegory
emphasizing on the importance and safeguard of Values and Wisdom along with the
unique Gurkha Identity, Culture and Tradition that is in the brink of
diminishment. “Jaimaya Aphumatra Likhapani Aipugi” (Jaimaya alone arrived at
Likhapani) exposes the aftermath problems faced by diasporas Gurkha.
The sad story is about the Gurkha family left in Burma ad their pathetic
journey towards their once abandoned homeland with equally exigent and
challenging situations. At last, Jaimaya alone arrives at Likhapani near Assam
leaving back her memoirs in the native land and in the hollow pathways.
Moreover the other stories in the book are also full of Gurkha ethos portraying
Universal theme and motif.

“Nepali is the major language in
Nepal but a minor one in India”. Nepali is one of the 22nd
officially recognized languages included in the Indian Literary language
approved by the Sahitya Akademi. The
Essay in the Book deals with India as a sovereign state giving respect to each
and every religion and languages. The need to understand the churning issue of
ethno nationalism is vividly described with much broader approach. The uneven
development of the country and the differentiation among the classes, language
is also very well defined in the translated version.

The translators of the book Lt.
Dorjee Tshering Lepcha, Amole Prasad and Michael Hutt are to be commended for
their work (translation) as their vocation enthralls each and every corner of
the Gurkha society by their equivalent writing skill and henceforth Mukti
Prakshan of Kalimpong in making the book available to the global audience. The
Book “Gorkha Imagined: Indra Bahadhur Rai in Translation” is available in
various book stores all around the world, all you need to do is visit some of
it.

“Call
of the Hills”
is a course book which has been included in the graduation syllabus of
Comparative Literature in Jadavpur University, Kolkata. The name of the book
“Call of the Hills” is appropriate, for the stories contained in it deeply
portrays the stories of the hills, mountains, precipice and the lifestyle of
the people. The book has used English as its medium in translating the Nepali
Stories into English. Altogether, the volume has a collection of three Essays
and nineteen short stories written by seventeen eminent Nepali writers
including three stories of Shiva Kumar Rai. The stories have been translated by
students
and Research scholars of Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Sikkim and Kolkata namely
Martha Rai, Bishwa Devi Subba (Sikkim University), Gaurav Tamang, Gyanendra
Mani Pradhan and Shradanjali Tamang (Darjeeling), Lee Pandi Fudong (Kalimpong),
Sanchari Bhattacharya, Smita Basu, Debapritam Chakraborty, Rianka Roy, Shubojit
Banerjee, Anshuman Bhowmick, Malini Bhattacharya, Satish Kumar and
Ranjamrittika Bhowmick (Kolkata).The book is edited by Dr. Kavita Lama and
Sayatan Dasgupta.

The
translated stories are very strong having Universal motifs depicting the
worldwide and everyday life of the Nepali speaking people of India with some
stories based on the relevant social, political and economic realities.
Provinces in India were created in independent India according to a language
being spoken but due to the upcoming of various linguistic languages, no
region/state speaks one language. For eg – languages that are spoken in Sikkim
are Bhutia, Lepcha, Limboo, Gurung, Rai, Newar, Bihari, Bengali and Nepali etc.
Likewise, Sayatan Dasgupta in his Introduction has given a wide view of the
differences created by languages taking the linguistic cartography of South
East Asia in general and the language Nepali in particular. Some of the stories
contained in the book are Chaprasi by Achha Rai “Rashik” is a story woven into
the social fabric of life in Darjeeling Hills and relate to the social,
political and economic realities of the region, Bal Bahadhur Bishta Chettri by
Ishwar Ballabh is written in a tongue cheek tone showcasing the oppression faced
by a scarecrow, The Diamond Necklace (Hira ko Haar) by Shiva Kumar Rai focuses
on human greed and awe for fame, authority and affluence and is also full of
shock and laughter, The path a Thought Traverses ( Euta Vichar ko Yatrapath) by
Indra Bahadhur Rai is a story written during the decisive period of the theory
of “Dimensional Movement”, it is a story describing its theme from the language
of painting, music and is presented in obliquities’ and Reality (Yatharta) by
Jas Yonzone “Pyasi” focuses on love and social institutions, evoking a weird
feeling and camouflaged on a ghost like story only to make the story turn more
realistic with the befall of tragedy in the end. This is not the end, there are
more stories of Lakhi Devi Sundas, Agam Sigh Giri, Guman Singh Chamling full of
myriad thematic and stylistic characteristics and many more in the book and all
you need to do is buy it from your nearest bookstores.

For
me, The book tends to be important and of huge success in two ways; firstly
Nepali literature which has remain untamed has not been exposed to the
worldwide readers, this book with the works of seventeen writers holding
different taste undoubtedly will bolster the outlook of Nepali Literature and
satiate the thirst of the globalized readers’. Dr. Kavita Lama in her Foreward has
stated words like “The number of translated works in Indian Nepali literature can simply
be counted on one’s fingers”. True to her words, there are only few
translated works but with the coming of such initiative and young talents from
the hills, it might be the starting of a new era in the field of Translation
and in the globalization of Nepali Literature.

Secondly,
the book juxtaposes works of many eminent Nepali writers. Also the stories of
the volume are being studied for the academic year 2012-13 in the Department of
Comparative Literature in Jadavpur University. It is to be noted that students
from myriad communities will also be learning and knowing the tradition of the
Hills and also to mention the lifestyle of the Hill and Modus Vivendi of the
Hill people. To strengthen the identity of the Gorkha speaking Indians through
the usage of a pen and a paper is the success of this book.